Tanuki

If there's nothing being logged by the ECU then I can only suggest "the usual" - replace fuel-filter, check fuel-line pressure, check that there's nothing nasty lurking in the fuel-tank [if the injector-seals have been a bit leaky for a while you can get a gloopy carbon-soot-diesel gelatinous mass in the fuel-tank that can plug the strainer mesh on the fuel-pump's pickup pipe]. --Tanuki.

Job One would be to get a fault-code reading carried out. The socket should be on the front edge of the cubby-box between the seats. --Tanuki. Achtung! Fallschirmfrosche!!

Dim-dip was a stupid UK-only early-1980s thing: thankfully the requirement for it was removed in about 1989. Your vehicle may not have ever been fitted with it. It's not a legal requirement. If it is there, reduce complexity - rip it out and use your headlamps *properly*.--Tanuki

Change down a couple of gears and get some revs on! At 1500RPM you'll be well off-boost and your oil-pressure will be way down. Loading an engine at 1500RPM won't be doing your big-ends any good whatsoever. It also increases impulse-loads on the transmission. Generally, it's better to keep an engine spinning freely at high-revs rather than labouring it at low revs. Change down, and let your engine rev! --Tanuki. "Blood is a poor assembly-lubricant"

Gas-pressure Bilsteins are wonderful. But they are a real pain to fit on the front because the gas-pressure extends them fully and this makes it a mega-struggle to refit the suspension-trumpets. My 'quick fix' is to fully-compress the shock-absorber then get someone to put several turns of duct-tape around the lower part to keep the outer 'barrel' part taped to the inner cylinder. You can now refit the shock-absorber into the centre of the spring, bolt the trumpet back in place and put the nut loosely on the bottom thread of the shock-absorber. Then cut round the tape (through the spring) with a craft-knife. The gas-pressure will extend the shock-absorber and you can then wiggle it about so that the upper threaded piece emerges through the hole in the trumpet. Trust me: doing it this way means you can save on curses and avoid finger-trapping 'unintended extension'. --Tanuki. "Today's forecast is: moderate to heavy patches of Frogs and a sunny outlook, but with a belt of sentient wellington-boots moving in from the west as the weekend comes to an end, followed by a visit to the psychiatrist for better drugs sometime early Tuesday"

What are you seeking to do? What kind of battery? If you want something that will recharge a traditional 100AH battery from pretty-flat in a sensible time then you need something with, say, 10A output. This need not be particularly sophisticated. You hook it to the battery and leave it until the charge-current drops away, then disconnect it. If your battery is a modern sealed/low-maintenance type then you need one with an accurate voltage-cutoff to prevent it continuing to charge when the battery is 'full' - otherwise this will gas-off some of the electrolyte and over time will wreck the battery. If you want something that can be left connected to keep any battery in good order/ready-to-go during long periods of inactivity, then the current output can be a *lot* lower (100 Milliamps is fine) but the important thing again is *voltage* regulation to prevent the aforementioned 'gassing-off' of the electrolyte. Current-generation "Calcium" batteries are even more sensitive about their charging current/voltage requirements - they can be charged *much* harder but you need to monitor the battery temperature as well as the voltage to know when to throttle-back the charge. I've got a big and clunky 30-year-old "Davenset" charger that puts out 4 amps maximum according to the meter: it's OK for use on old-style batteries overnight when you've forgotten to turn the lights off.... I also have a small Draper "Battery Conditioner" that's about the size of a laptop power-supply and only puts out a maximum of 0.5 amps but has a set of coloured LEDs and a switch to select the kind of battery (Lead-acid, Sealed lead-acid/gel-cell, Calcium) - I'm happy to leave this continually connected to my emergency-generator battery. --Tanuki.

If the bolts are anything like those holding the calipers to the axles on my Defender, then you need a 12-point-drive 'socket'. The bolts are also held in place with a thread-locking compound: best way to free this off is to heat the bolt-head to red-heat with oxy-acetylene, then give it *one* really hard whack using a drift and a lump-hammer to break the lock, then undo. Oh yes, after doing this the bolts need replacing.

Get it to someone who has the ability to probe the ECU and read the error-codes. For at least the last decade, cars are only too happy to tell you what the problem is. OK, this is a mindwarp for the older-generation of mechanics, but it really can save hassle [and unnecessary speculative replacement-of-parts] once you embrwce the idea. If your mechanic's not got a decent code-reader and laptop - well, find someone who does! --Tanuki "The last Tormentor General was one Thomas Bainbridge, appointed to the post by Oliver Cromwell in 1642. With his creative punishments he played a major part in the Massacre of Drogheda in 1649 but on the restoration of the Monarchy in 1661 Bainbridge was arrested, found guilty of high treason, and executed by being lowered head-first into a barrel of toads."

When I bought my "Nifty-90" back in 2001, the factory options-list included "headlight alternate-flash". I didn't choose this (because it was something like £500 extra) but have since implemented something similar via four relays and a simple integrated-circuit. Press the button and the headlamps cycle through: Main-beam, Dip-beam, Both main&dip lit on the left, Both main&dip lit on the right, Main-beam, Dip-beam... It's a damned effective way to shift BMWs out of the fast-lane of M4. --Tanuki "Watch out where the Huskies go, and don't you eat that yellow snow"

Run the engine up from cold with the cap removed - if there's any significant bubbling in the expansion bottle you have a head-gasket issue. If there's no bubbling, check that the pressure-relief in the pressure-cap is working. If you don't provide a path for coolant-expansion pressure to be relieved as the engine warms up, something's gonna burst! In practice, I can drive my TD5 for 350 miles up the M5/M6 in summer while towing a 3-ton trailer with the expansion-tank pressure cap completely missing (ahem! who forgot to re-fit it?) and not lose any coolant at all. --Tanuki. "Badgers - always part of the problem, never part of the answer"

Rather than T-cut, go to a proper automotive paint-factors and ask them about a range of trade products called 'Farecla' I'd suggest you start with G3 paste then follow up with G10 finishing compound.See http://fareclaonline.co.uk/ Not cheap, but definitely worth it if only for the vastly-reduced effort it takes compared to using T-cut.The paint needs to be well hardened though!--Tanuki

I guess I could look at fitting a little 24V alternator on the pedestal where the aircon-pump would fit if I had one? And a small extra 24V-worth of battery. --Tanuki.

I'm installing some 24-volt gear in my 12-volt 90TD5. It potentially needs a standing current of about 1Amp, but can intermittently peak to about 16A. So far the only option I've been able to come up with is to stick in a second battery in what amounts to a split-charge system but with a couple of DPCO relays which then hook the 2 batteries in series when the radios are in use. Does anyone have a better suggestion? A 12V to 24V sine-wave inverter would be an option, but it would have to be one which generates very low levels of interference/RF-noise. --Tanuki. "WARNING: Ride-on Pony comes unassembled in box with head detatched. You may wish to not open the box around children if they may be frightened by a box with a decapitated horse inside."

What pressure are you seeing? Are you using a reliable mechanical oil-pressure gauge, or just depending on the idiot-light? Have you changed the oil-filter? Have you checked the condition of the mesh screen on the end of the oil-pickup pipe in the sump? [On the last Rover V8 I had in pieces, the pickup screen was choked solid with bits of old rocker-cover/valley-gaskets, flakes of gasket-sealant, lumps of snot and an evil tarry oil-residue. That was after 70,000 miles. There was a lot more black snot in the crevices of the cylinder-heads. Turned out the previous owner had run it for 10,000 miles without a thermostat to cure an 'overheating' problem which was actually due to a failed voltage-stabiliser in the instrument-pack. The ECU had been overfuelling because it thought the engine was still warming-up].

Rather than replacing the flange, pop down your local bearing-place and talk to them about "speedy sleeves" - they are a thinwall stainless-steel sleeve that fits over the entire length of the worn part, and provides a really good smooth surface for the seal to run on. We use these all the time on industrial equipment that spends its entire life in muddy/dusty/sandy conditions. --Tanuki. "It's like having a whole saturday-night-town-centre-after-the-clubs-have-closed experience going on inside my skull. Except without the vomiting, the kebabs or the sex-pest minicab-drivers".

Apart from the clutch itself being worn-out, there are 2 things that could be worth checking. 1] Unscrew the clutch bleed-nipple - if you get a noticeable spurt of fluid, this shows that the master-cylinder isn't 'clearing' properly and it's retaining pressure in the system even when the pedal's fully released. 2] Undo the bolts holding the slave-cylinder to the bellhousing. If there's clearly 'something pushing the slave-cylinder away from the bellhousing' as you do this, then either the slave-cylinder is sticking or the actuating push-rod on the slave is adjusted too far out and is holding the clutch partially disengaged. Do test [1] first. In my experience master- and slave-cylinders tend to fail together - I guess they don't always enjoy the disturbance caued by bleeding. --Tanuki.

After 30,000 miles it's time to replace the rear pads on my TD5 90CSW. My local motor-factors have provided me with a set of pads which have holes in the metal backings for the retaining-pins to pass through, and coil springs to fit over the split-pins and between the pads (presumably to prevent rattle). The pads I'm removing have the split-pins passing behind the pads and (crumbly-rusty) folded-metal springy-things fitted between the pins and the pads. Is this a sane swap? The new arrangement (with coil-springs that fit over the splitpins) is kinda the same as I've got on the front. Also - I really seem to eat front brake-pads and discs: on average I get 15,000 miles from the pads and 30,000 miles from the discs (which are Land-Rover parts from my local dealer) before they warp to the point of being dangerous. Does anyone have suggestions for upgrades?? --Tanuki. The Seven Deadly Sins: Collect the full set!

I kinda think you've got a pressure-leak somewhere. Whether it's on the intake-side of the turbo or downstream on the exhaust it's hard to tell. But losing pressure through a leak is going to be losing you performance too. --Tanuki "Sir Henry, enfant-terrible of artistic communities the world over, has just finished his latest exhibition. Paintings were hung on the gallery walls for a short period then removed before the critics and public were allowed in to view the now-bare walls. He describes this as 'homeopathic art'."

I'm thinking either a plug/socket assembly has come apart somewhere in the loom, or you've lost the earth-connection to the rear lights (though loss-of-earth would usually result in the lights working in 'dim-and-psychotic-christmas-tree' style as various bulbs earthed back through other bulbs).

Consider the speed-rating. If you fit inappropriately-rated tyres to your vehicle it could compromise your insurance. If your vehicle can potentially travel at speed 'X' you must have tyres that are rated for operation at that speed. Even if you never intend to do so... [This has been an issue for the classic-car-clyb I'm a member of: as designed the cars in question could do 120MPH so need to be fitted with 120MPH-rated tyres even if you're only ever doing 50MPH pottering to/from shows]. --Tanuki. "Thanking Gordon Brown for saving the banks is like thanking an arsonist for not stealing the fire-extinguishers."

Worst thing that can happen if a wheel-bearing goes is that the inner track spins on the stub-axle and welds itself on. Dismantling can then be destructive. --Tanuki. One of my lifelong passions has been converting vegetarians back to meat, usually by the judicious application of the aroma of slowly frying bacon.

Would be better to put a T-piece in and split the air-feed between the 2 intercoolers then re-combine the outlets with another T-piece before feeding to the engine. 2 coolers in series gives double the pressure-drop of one cooler. 2 coolers in parallel gives half the pressure-drop of one cooler. --Tanuki. "WARNING: Letters may be used to construct words or phrases which some people may find objectionable" -- Alphabet spaghetti disclaimer.

I'm thinking that you should look at putting a FIA-type battery-master-switch in the feed to the wincg - locating this somewhere high under the bonnet/hood so it's relatively splashproof. Something like: http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/Motorsport/Electrical_Components/Battery_Isolators_Master_Switches/Autolec_FIA_Battery_Master_CutOut_Switch/1594/0/14928 These switches always come with a hole in the actuator key to let you connect a bowden-cable-operated remote-pull - which should be placed somewhere easily accessible for emergency operation. --Tanuki "Badgers are never the answer, but often the problem"

It may be "new in crate" but does it also come with the matching ECU/immobiliser, full wiring-loom and connectors, fuel-pump/filter/pipework? Oil-cooler? PAS pump? Alternator? Starter-motor? What about the clutch/flywheel? Is that included? If you have to buy all those bits as 'extras' from a Toyota dealer they could easily add up to make a TD5 look cheap. --Tanuki Sir Henry, enfant-terrible of artistic communities the world over, has just finished his latest exhibition. Paintings were hung on the gallery walls for a short period then removed before the critics and public were allowed in to view the now-bare walls. He describes this as 'homeopathic art'.

I'd suggest: First, strip off *all* the original paint. If you can find someone with sand/grit/bead-blasting gear, go for it! Then apply a Zinc Chromate based etch-primer: just a very thin misting. U-Pol do a good one, available through larger branches of Halfords. Alternatively, speak to someone who paints aircraft; they have a whole range of specialist primers that *really* bond well. Getting a decent bond to the underlying metal is the #1 requirement for long-lasting paint adhesion. After that, top-coat with a suitable paint. "Wurth" is my manufacturer-of-choice - they're the providers of the paint that goes on to the alloy-wheels of BMWs and Mercedes. A good motor-factors will provide... --Tanuki. "One of my lifelong passions has been converting vegetarians back to meat, usually by the judicious application of the aroma of slowly frying bacon."